


from dawn 'till dusk

by sam_kom_trashkru



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BUT NOT LEXA'S, Character Death, Clexa, F/F, F/M, LEXA ISNT DEAD FUCK YOU JROTHENMONSTER, Lexa has a family, Lexa has zero clue how to woo a lady, M/M, Nyx and Nico are the biggest Clexa shippers EVER, and her little sibs are amazing, but CLEXA WILL PREVAIL, but still, this mainly focuses on the twins for the beginning till they're reunited, with some nudging on nyx and nico's parts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-25 00:21:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6172582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sam_kom_trashkru/pseuds/sam_kom_trashkru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hodness laik kewlness. But Lexa has always been weak (especially for the two urchins who know how to push every one of her buttons, but she loves them unconditionally all the same).</p><p>Or</p><p>Nyx and Nico will always find their way back to their sis, whether she wants them too or not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Demons

“Nontu,” the little girl’s green eyes gazed up at her father stubbornly, pulling on the hem of his shirt, uncharacteristically exposed with the lack of armor. “What’s taking nomon so long?” The battle hardened warrior looked down at his daughter, fierce golden brown eyes soft and warm when he gazed at the seven year old, who was already much too mature for her age.

He had worried when Shaman had come to visit their village of TonDC, as she did every year, to assign the children their roles. While the others were sorted into warriors, healers, and farmers, his little yongon had been given an eerie smile and been told to wait one year, before her training began. Lexa didn’t understand what that meant at the time, but her mother and father had. Usually, parents would be proud when they learned their child had been chosen to be the next Commander, but Rain and Myko had wept, knowing their daughter would be taken from them. 

“The fisa says there is a surprise,” he responded softly, covering his daughter’s ears so she didn’t hear her mother’s cries, “instead of getting one goufa, your mother is getting two.” Lexa perked up at this news, beaming up at her father.

“That means I’ll have  _ two _ yongons to teach when the Shaman takes me to train!” she babbled excitedly, looking over her father’s shoulder to the closed room where her mother was with the frisa. She still didn’t quite understand the weight of the responsibilities soon to be placed on her shoulders, and Myko didn’t have the heart to tell her. He didn’t want to see the light leave his little one’s eyes. 

As a second cry joined the first one, he stole another glance at the bright green eyes of his daughter, still filled with childish wonder. 

The frisa exited the room, looking tired, but pleased.

“You can go in now,” she instructed them, before crouching down to Lexa’s level, “you must be gentle with your nomon and the goufas, sha?”

“Sha, frisa,” Lexa confirmed, before hurrying into the room with her father, and instantly attaching herself to her mother’s side. The two small bundles cradled in her mother’s arms were entirely unimpressive, but she felt compelled to them immediately, a strong protective urge filling her small body.

“Meet your little bro en sis, Leksa,” Rain said softly, a smile gracing her face, “Nico and Nyx.” At that moment, Lexa swore to protect the two, and teach them everything she knew. 

But even the best laid plans can be broken.

* * *

 

Lexa is sixteen years old and she is already the Commander.

The weight of the responsibility lies heavily on her shoulders, but she knew that she’d be able to handle it. After all, the previous  _ heda _ , Naomi, had been training her from the tender age of eight to be able to handle the pressure. But still, the knowledge that she now belonged to her people, and had a duty to serve them, to  _ die  _ for them… it was not knowledge most sixteen year olds would be able to handle.

Which is why she’d returned to her home village of TonDC.

She rode elegantly on her white horse, Hecate, head held up proud as she observed the place she’d grown up. Besides her was a speckled grey horse, mounted by the girl who held Lexa’s attention every waking moment of the day, and every moment beyond as well. 

Her hair was dark and curly, untamed by braids, bouncing freely. Her skin was dark, not as dark as Indra’s, but much darker than her own, and her eyes were rich like the ground, filled with life. Costia had been a lifesaver for Lexa, having been chosen to be Gustus’s second while Lexa was trained by Anya and Indra. They’d grown up together here, along with Costia’s younger brother, Lincoln, who had seen fourteen winters, and he was being trained by a patient man named Pollux. 

“Sis!” A wide grin stretched across Lexa’s face as she hopped off of her horse, only to be bombarded by two sturdy pairs of little arms. This was why she’d returned. Lexa laughed as Nico began talking at miles a minute, making wide gestures with his hands, while Nyx nodded along with everything he was saying. 

They were special, without a doubt. Of course, Lexa was biased, because she loved her bro and sis more than just about anyone in the world (except for maybe Costia), but it went beyond that. She could still remember the dread that had filled her belly when she was still a little girl when the murky blue color found in all newborns faded, only to reveal mismatched eyes. Nico’s right was golden brown, like their father, and his left was forest green, like their mother and Lexa’s own. Nyx’s eyes were the opposite, green right and brown left. In their culture, any and all defects, whether or not they were beautiful, cost children their lives. 

But Lexa had been blessed, because the Shaman had come that day to collect her, and turned her eerie, clouded gaze upon the crying twins, and saved them both. Nico was destined, as it seemed, to be a warrior, who would serve in his sister’s army as soon as he was given the chance, and his quieter counterpart was to be the next Shaman. It was a great honor, but also came with even greater responsibilities. As Lexa observed the petite nine year old, running her fingers through Costia’s hair, she felt a pang of regret that her siblings couldn’t live normal childhoods. They were cursed, as it seemed. 

“...and Lincoln taught me how to make paints the other day!” Nico continued excitedly, switching to English, which all children had to learn. “He and Nyko took me into the forest to collect the petals to make paste, and then Nyx helped me paint!”

“It’s a lot pretty than your paint,  _ sis _ ,” Nyx added with a small smile, and Lexa laughed at her.

“Well, warpaint is supposed to look intimidating, not pretty,” Lexa reasoned, and her little sister just stuck her tongue out at her. Costia batted her eyelashes rapidly, making Lexa swallow.

“I don’t know about that,  _ heda _ , I think your warpaint makes you look  _ very  _ pretty.” While Nyx and Nico were perhaps too young still to fully grasp the idea of relationships, they were old enough to know when their sister was flirting with someone, or being flirted with, and they both pulled equally disgusted faces, Nyx even going so far as to reprimandingly thump Costia on the head, little hands still busying themselves playing with the older girl’s hair. 

“Alright, alright,  _ yongon _ ,” Costia laughed, “I won’t flirt with your  _ sis  _ in front of you two, but I can’t promise when you’re gone.” It was only her training at remaining stoic that prevented Lexa from flushing, and the two little rascals giggled at her expense. 

“Nico, Nyx, you aren’t teasing your  _ sis _ , are you?” Lexa heaved a sigh of relief as she heard the familiar soft voice of Rain, who ruffled Nico’s hair fondly before capturing her oldest child in a hug.

“Of course not,  _ nomon _ ,” Nyx assured seriously, continuing her endeavor to fill Costia’s hair with small yellow flowers, “nobody can tease  _ heda _ , after all.”

“But nothing says  _ heda  _ can’t tease her  _ sis, _ ” Lexa shot back, snatching the giggling nine year old off of Costia’s shoulders and tossing the struggling girl over her own, taking time to tickle her sides, which caused the usually soft-spoken girl to screech with laughter.

“Lexa stop!  _ Beja, Leksa! _ Stoooop!” Lexa tossed the girl into the air, a casual display of her strength, and Nyx twisted in the air gracefully, before she was caught by the wider arms of their father, Myko.

“Welcome home,  _ yongplan _ ,” he greeted, eyes shining, “you as well, Costia. I hope you’re keeping my daughter in line?”

“ _ Sha, Myko _ ,” Costia responded, “but you know how hardheaded she can be, even moreso now that she’s  _ heda _ .” Lexa grumbled, shaking her head.

“Enough poking fun at me, I came here to spend time with my family, not be constantly degraded by the people who’re supposed to love and support me.” She cast a sidelong glance at her generals. “And I think Indra, Anya, and Gustus might explode. After all, it doesn’t suit  _ heda  _ to show emotions, particularly in jest.”

* * *

 

_ Nyx was running. Her legs were longer, her head held higher, and she ran as though her life depended on it. The green blur of trees surrounded her as she wove her way through the forest, and she felt words tearing themselves from her throat without her consent. _

_ “NICO! NICO!” After a few more moments of running, she found him. He was taller, like her, and had filled out his body more, and he ran towards her and held her as though his life depended on it. He pointed frantically at the sky, where a large burning object was falling.  _

_ “What’s happening?” he asked, and Nyx was shocked at how deep it was. He sounded more like their father than the little boy she knew now. “Is the world ending?” _

_ “No,” Nyx heard herself say, “wanheda falls from the sky.” _

_ The scene changed quickly, greens and blues melting into dark greys and the bright orange-red of fire. She could feel tears running down her cheeks, and was once more closer to the ground. Nico was next to her, glaring defiantly forward, and they were both slightly tucked behind the familiar lithe form of Costia.  _

_ She peeked out from her position behind Costia’s arm, and felt her blood run cold. _

_ Poised elegantly atop a white marble throne sat a regal looking woman with sharp cheekbones, a scar curling around her narrowed eyes. The intricate braids and throne, paired with the white warpaint, told Nyx all she needed to know.  _

_ This was Nia, the Queen of the Ice Nation. _

_ “Please,” Costia was pleading, “don’t hurt them, they’re just  _ yongons _. None of this needs to happen, I’m sure if you petition  _ heda  _ for peace talks you could work something out-” Costia was floundering, and Nyx had never seen the older girl so uncomposed, except for the time the previous summer when the twins had crept into their sister’s room only to find the darker skinned girl already there. Queen Nia cut her off with a wave of her hand, eyes narrowing even further, if that was possible. _

_ “Silence,” her voice was as cold as the room they were in, and Nyx could see her brother shaking like a leaf, their breath visible in the crisp air. “I have to wish for peace.” _

_ A whimper snuck out of Nyx’s throat, and she slunk further into Costia’s side as Nia’s steely gaze fixed itself onto her, breath hitching at the malicious smile. _

_ “I wish to send a message to your  _ heda _ ,” she spat the word like a curse, lip curling, “the Trigedakru always think they’re so high-and-mighty. But I’m here to prove that the Queen bows to nobody.” She motioned to two of the guards. “Restrain her.” _

_ “No!” Nyx felt herself scream as she was wrenched from Costia’s side, making feeble attempts to flee alongside her brother, who’d bitten one guard and was now being held down by two. “COSTIA!”  _

_ The girl smiled sadly at the two of them, shaking her head as she let herself be lead towards the queen, before being forced down on her knees. _

_ “You two will be great,” she called out to them, “stay safe, stay together. When you next see your sister, tell her I love her.” She faltered in her composure as Nia stood, drawing her sword, and Nyx could see a tear make its way in solitude down her cheek. “Look away, beja, Nico, Nyx, look away.” _

_ A raw, unholy scream rose from both twins throats as they struggled even harder, kicking and clawing and biting and scratching. But nothing they did could stop Nia from aiming and ending Costia’s fight with one strong swing. Nyx wished she’d looked away, as she saw the head that once stood so proud, with bouncy hair she’d just filled with flowers, roll off of her shoulders and onto the floor.  _

She woke up with a gasp, eyes watering, looking around wildly, and was about to let a sigh of relief escape her until she felt the hand over her mouth, a sharp knife pressed to her throat. Flickering eyes confirmed the dread in her stomach. 

White war paint. 


	2. Humble Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter: Queen Nia, everyone's least favorite person.

She’d sat in the cell for two weeks now. 

At first, she had cried. Cried and screamed her throat raw, but the guards had beaten her every time she dared make a peep, so she stopped crying. But no amount of beatings could stop the nightmares that filled her head every night. The image of Costia’s rolling head seemed to tattooed onto the inside of her eyelids, and she’d boycotted sleep for three nights before exhaustion had finally overtaken her. 

As the second week rolled, she’d begun to ask for her brother. But this pleas were met once more with violence, and now, with several broken bones and a few nasty scars, the little girl had resigned herself to huddle in the corner of the cold, dark, room, with rumbling stomach and aching wounds. 

As she was contemplating scratching her own eyes out, the large, ornate, locked doors that stood in clear view of the rows of cells, was opened slowly. When the Queen walked in, head held high and smirk planted firmly on her face, Nyx tried to retreat further into herself, like a turtle into its shell. Her interest was only gained when the Queen tugged on a rope, and she silently sobbed in relief as she saw her brother on the other end, trudging in reluctantly, looking as bad as she felt, if not worse. 

“Nico.” His name escaped her lips without her consent, the words scratchy and harsh, hurting her throat to speak, as one guard had kicked her there rather roughly. 

“Nyx.” His eyes widened, and for a moment she thought he was going to struggle from his bindings, which were around his wrists, ankles, and throat, but he quelled when Nia fixed him with a steady glare. 

“I’m afraid I haven’t had a chance to properly introduce myself,” she said cooly, stopping outside of Nyx’s cell, “my name is Nia, and I am your new  _ Kwin _ .” The word felt heavy in Nyx’s mind. Wrong. 

“Now, let me tell you how this is going to work,” she continued, “you two will be kept alive for now, because you’re still useful to me. My sources have confirmed the meanings of your tattoos.” As soon as the Shaman determined the role of a child, they were marked with their station, as was Triku culture, and Nia obviously knew this. “You, young man, were meant to be a member of your  _ heda’s  _ royal guard, I can use that.” Her eyes zeroed in on Nyx’s pitiful, hunched over form. “But  _ you _ , my dear,  _ you  _ will be infinitely more useful. It’s been decades since the  _ Azgeda  _ have had a true seer.”

“If you do your duties, and serve me well, without a fight,” Nia continued, “you will be allowed to see each other once a month. If one of you tries anything funny, well…” she trailed off, “the Azgeda are known for their scarification just as the Trikru are known for their tattoos. I am not above torturing  _ yongons _ , as you’ve seen.”

She was truly evil, playing on their love for one another. Nyx would rather die than see Nico hurt, and she knew he felt the same way. They were twins, closer than normal siblings, joined at the hip since birth.

“I will have my generals train you, but, like I said, any sign of disobedience and you  _ will  _ be punished.” She paused, eyeing them both. “Am I understood.” They both nodded hesitantly after making brief eye contact, but she suddenly raised her voice. “I said,  _ am I understood? _ ”

“Sha, Kwin,” Nico said obediently, ducking his head shamefully.

“Sha, Kwin,” Nyx croaked out moments later, throat still terribly sore. The woman grinned, drawing herself up to full height once more. 

“Much better, Colton,” a man previously hidden in the shadows stepped out, and she motioned in Nyx’s direction, “take the girl to Freya to be healed, and I’ll have Gregor take the boy to Liam. They aren’t to have contact for another month, understood?”

“Sha, Kwin.”

Before she was lead away by the giant mountain of a man, she shot one last helpless glance at her brother, whose eyes were still trained on her. 

“ _ Ai hod yu in, sis,” _ he called over his shoulder, and Nyx echoed his words before she was being pushed out of the opposite door. She stumbled several times, limping, knowing her ankle was broken. The man finally grew impatient and picked her up, tossing her over his shoulder. 

The small girl allowed a few tears to track down her face. The last time she’d been picked up in this way had been a little over two weeks ago, except the arms had been more tender, and the embrace had been loving. Her heart ached. She wanted her brother, her nomon, her nontu, and most importantly, she wanted her  _ sis _ .

Even though Lexa had been gone often throughout most of her childhood, some of her fondest memories of were when Lexa was home. The older girl doted on her younger siblings, teaching them everything she knew, and telling them stories of far-off lands she’d visited in her training. Around her little brother and sister, Lexa had been able to drop the severe mask she had on at all times and allow herself to act like her age. Nyx and Nico had agreed long ago that it was Lexa who gave the best hugs in their family. Nothing could quite beat the comfort of a mother’s embrace, but Lexa’s arms screamed safety and warmth and dedication.

So she let herself hang limp on the man’s shoulder, feeling utterly despondent, counting the cracks in the ground as they passed. After a few more minutes of walking at a brisk pace, the man stopped outside of another room, this one lined with several cots, and a door that led to what Nyx assumed was the fissa’s personal quarters. A soft-skinned girl with the trademark scar curling around her temple entered at the sound of Colton’s lumbering entrance, tucking sandy hair behind her ears. 

“Leave her there,” the woman instructed, Freya, Nyx recalled, and she felt herself being lowered surprisingly gently onto a cot, and then soft hands are tracing her skin, inspecting darkly colored bruises and barely scabbed over cuts. 

“Poor thing,” she made a clicking motion with her tongue, before shaking her head, “I’m not allowed to question the motives of our  _ Kwin _ , but resorting to hurting children is a bit much, even for her.” She fussed over Nyx for a bit, who laid stiff in the bed, refusing to let herself relax.

“Hush,  _ yongon _ ,” Freya tried to reassure, “you’re in good hands here, we’ll get you fixed up in no time.” Though every bone in her body screamed not to trust the woman tending to her wounds, exhaustion won out, and Nyx felt her eyes fluttering shut.

* * *

 

“Come on,  _ yongon _ , wake up.” Sticky eyes languidly stretched open, blinking rapidly against the sudden harsh light. For a while, she felt safe, a soft cot underneath her, but the memories soon came flooding back, along with the aching of her wounds. The voice wasn’t familiar, the bed was not hers, and nothing about this situation was safe.

She jerked up, ignoring the soft hands pushing her back down. Nyx could feel her chest tightening, her breath coming out in short pants. 

“Hush,  _ yongon _ , you’re alright.” Freya’s voice was soft, and Nyx appreciated her attempt at calming her down, but it was failing quite miserably.

“I want my  _ nomon _ ,” Nyx sobbed, “and my  _ nontu,  _ and my  _ bro _ , and my  _ sis _ . I want to go  _ houm. _ ” For a brief moment, she thought she saw a flicker of pity in Freya’s eyes before they hardened. 

“I know,” she said, “but you cannot afford to have such thoughts. This is your  _ houm _ now.” She paused, motioning to a mark on the left side of her neck. “I am  _ Floukru _ by birth, but  _ Azgeda  _ now. It is not uncommon for them to take prisoners and keep them forever.” She chuckled humorlessly. “You will learn to adapt,  _ yongon _ , quickly if you value your head.”

* * *

 

Nico was faring no better. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, but there were no more tears for his body to expel. Liam hailed from the Valley People, but didn’t speak much.

He’d been bed-bound for three days, and was now finally being allowed to walk around the infirmary freely, so long as he didn’t leave without supervision. His thoughts were almost always on his sister, wondering about her health. 

On the sixth day, the doors opened to reveal not Gregor, who usually accompanied him places, but a boy who appeared to be about Lexa’s age, with long brown hair and scars over his face. By the way Liam bowed quickly (Nico following suit because he didn’t fancy being bedridden any longer) he gaged that this was Prince Roan. 

“Rise,” he snapped, and the two did as instructed. Roan looked Nico up and down, the younger boy jutting his chin out in a silent show of defiance, and the older boy chuckled.

“You have a warrior’s spirit,” he murmured, nodding his head, “that I can work with.” He continued circling Nico like a vulture, and he made silent hums of approval, before sharply looking him in the eye.

“ _ Neeko kom Trikru _ ,” he ground out, “from this day forward, you are  _ Neeko kom Azgedakru _ , and I am to be your  _ fos _ , and you will be my  _ seken. _ My word is law, and you’d do well to listen to me the first time I say something, because I won’t take kindly to having to repeat myself.” Nico found he didn’t quite like the malicious glint in the older boy’s eyes, but he bowed his head respectfully.

“ _ Sha, Prin _ .”

“No need to call me prince,” Roan continued, “you will call me Roan, and you will be the best  _ seken  _ the Ice Nation has ever seen, because you are mine, and I am always the best at everything. Are we understood?”

“... _ sha,  _ Roan.”

* * *

 

“Again!” Nyx’s chest was heaving, the girl short of breath as she stood up slowly and readied herself for the onslaught. A tall, heavily scarred no-nonsense man named Nam had been tasked as her  _ fos _ , and he was currently teaching her the power of a good defensive, unleashing his full fury upon her with two long poles to represent dual wielded blades, instructing her to parry and dodge until she got hit. 

So far, the longest she’d managed to last was two minutes, and they’d been going at it for three hours for the fifteenth time that week alone. There wasn’t a part of her that wasn’t beginning to bruise. 

“You have to  _ feel  _ for the blade,” he barked, “use your sight in order to see, anticipate the blows before they come.”

“But that’s impossible!” Nyx snapped impatiently, inwardly fuming. Nam regarded her coldly for a moment, before ripping a piece of cloth off of his shirt.

“Come here.” Begrudgingly, Nyx did as instructed. The second month of her stay with the Ice Nation had recently started, and she was trying to maintain her best behavior in order to be able to see Nico as promised. She tensed as he pulled the cloth up to her eyes, tying it firmly behind her head. She couldn’t see anything except the black of the fabric. 

“Step back four paces.” His voice seemed louder now that she couldn’t see him, almost as if her senses were heightened, compensating for the lack of sight. “Assume first position.” She bent her knees, getting in a starting stance, single long stick held in front of her defensively. “Prepare yourself.”

Nyx took a deep breath, calming herself. On the battlefield, one couldn’t afford to have wayward thoughts. She felt a light brush of air on her left side, and quickly brought her stick to parry the blow, ducking fluidly with the motion as the second pole swooped over her head. After spending three hours with Nam, she was beginning to be able to decipher his attack patterns, and she could hear her mentor let out a delighted laugh when she jumped over the next swing, aimed at her knees, before ducking to the ground and spinning with her own stick, which made the satisfying noise of wood cracking against wood, a sign of her immense improval.

“Good! Now, faster!” Sweat broke on Nyx’s forehead once more as she felt the speed of Nam’s attacks increase. She’d barely managed to block one hit before another was inches away from her nose, and the two were engaged in a dance of sorts, Nyx using her small size to her advantage to avoid everything her mentor was throwing at her. 

A hit finally landed on her stomach when Nam feinted a blow to the right, while aiming for her stomach at the same time. She doubled over, panting, hands clutching at her stomach, and felt the steady hands of her  _ fos  _ pulling her up, gently removing the blindfold. The stoic man wasn’t much for smiling, but the glint in his eyes told Nyx all she needed to know, and a small bud of pride bloomed in her chest, startling her. 

She was still sad and angry, oh so angry, and so homesick it physically hurt, but she was growing to care for the people here. Nam was a voice of wisdom, and he reminded her greatly of Anya, and Freya was there to tend to her bruises. She found that being angry at everyone was pointless, especially if she was stuck here for a while. She might as well learn to appreciate the small blessings in life while she had the chance.

The nine year old had been forced to grow up a lot in these past two months, but she found that training herself to the point of exhaustion helped keep the nightmares at bay, and the visions were coming less often. Sometimes she saw her sister’s face, cold and closed off, so different from the warmth and love she was so used to seeing. Sometimes she saw Lexa screaming, clutching at a severed head as though it was her very source of life, and insisting with her generals that they storm the Ice Nation, regardless of backlash, only to be reprimanded and told no.

But more and more often, Nyx was dreaming of someone known to her as only  _ wanheda _ , who fell from the sky, and her band of lumbering  _ branwadas. _ Sometimes, she saw  _ wanheda  _ with her  _ sis _ , other times with a dark-skinned boy, and others with a boy with floppy hair and an arrogant smirk that Nyx wanted to rip off of his smug face. 

However, there was one image that stood out clearly in her mind, which had been keeping her going these past two months. It was of Lexa, older, grasping onto a much taller Nico and Nyx as though they were the only people in the world. She knew that one day, regardless of the struggles she’d be forced to face, they’d end up back together. 

And she planned on living to see that reunion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a couple of chapters written already, but I'm only doing this double posting thing today, the others will come gradually. Hope you liked it! Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!
> 
> Come visit me on tumbr: hedaclexa
> 
> Reshop, Heda.


	3. Ice Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Growing up in enemy territory is hard.

( _ Age 11) _

She woke up panting. Freya was standing over her, a look of concern etched upon her fair skinned face. Nam stood awkwardly off to the side, eyes shifting around as he gazed at the floor. 

“Are you alright?” She enquired, and Nyx nodded hurriedly, shaking the fear from her eyes. 

“ _ Kwin  _ Nia will see you,” said Nam, and Nyx stood up shakily, as she always did after having a vision, before she breathed deeply and allowed her mentor to lead her to the Queen’s chambers. The eleven year old girl’s eyes showed wisdom and suffering far beyond her years, but they also retained the hopefulness of the small child who’d been stolen from TonDC. 

She still saw Costia in her dreams, but the image of the rolling head was beginning to fade, instead replaced by happier memories, and some images that she was unsure even existed. Of Costia in fields of flowers, allowing small hands to braid them in her hair, of her quiet moments with Lexa, the two of them just soaking up each other’s presence. 

“In you go,” Nam prompted, nudging the petite girl into the throne room, where Queen Nia was already perched on her throne. The girl did her best not to look down on the ground where she knew to be the place Costia had been beheaded by the very woman standing in front of her. 

“ _ Seyah _ ,” Nia intoned with a nod of her head, “what did you see?” Nyx took a deep breath, knowing that her  _ Kwin  _ wouldn’t like the answer she provided. 

“Lexa of the Trikru will seek to form a coalition,” she began, “to unite all twelve clans under her leadership.” Nia visibly bristled at this information. “She will succeed with all clans but our own, but you will be forced to join under threat of extermination by the combined effort of the other eleven clans. She believes it pertinent to defeat the  _ maunon _ .” Nia twitched, hand brushing absentmindedly over her blade. 

“This is…  _ displeasing _ , to say the least. I suppose she’ll be sending a messenger in order to bring up peace talks?”

“ _ Sha, Kwin _ ,” Nyx nodded, “a young man named Maverick. He will not harm anyone so long as he doesn’t feel threatened.” Nia rubbed her temples tiredly.

“I’ll make sure he’s treated well,” she sighed, eyes narrowed, “perhaps if I allow our powerful nation to become close to the  _ Trikru _ , I will finally have a chance to remove your pest of a sister.” A small noise of protest rose from Nyx’s throat on its own accord, and Nia’s eyes snapped up to meet her own.

“Remember your place,  _ seyah _ ,” she purred, “you’ve proven yourself to be of the utmost importance, but you and I both know that I can end you with a snap of my fingers. You and your brother. If you don’t breathe a word of this to anyone else, I’ll allow you to see him once a week as opposed to once every fortnight, because I  _ do  _ reward good behavior.”

The terms of their agreement had changed six months into the twins’ stay within the Ice Nation, both having obediently progressed with their training, and they’d earned their first scars at the same time, curving under their ears. Nia had allowed them to be tattooed as well, a brief moment of indulgence for the strict woman, but they’d been adamant about remembering their past, and she’d been too tired to care. 

“ _ Sha, Kwin,”  _ Nyx responded obediently, with a low bow. She felt the cold eyes regard her once more before dismissing her.

* * *

 

“Put your back into it,  _ seken!” _ Nico’s brows were scrunched together in determination, sweat gleaming on his bare skin as he sparred with Roan, who was a relentless teacher and an even more relentless fighter. He was probably the most impressive warrior that Nico had ever been in contact with, though he supposed his older  _ sis  _ was his equal at least in combat, if not better. One had to be great to be  _ heda _ , after all, but he didn’t let his thoughts stay on her for long.

They had long since graduated from wooden sticks to pointed metal blades and rods, not too sharp as to cause a fatal wound, but enough to break skin and cause bleeding if one wasn’t careful enough. There was also pain training, endurance training, etc., so these exercises were by far the most lenient on the body and the mind. 

He was getting better at the others, though. He’d lasted a whole hour during pain training last week, which even Roan had been impressed with, grumbling that he hadn’t been able to last a week until he was twelve ( _ that _ had been a massive boost to Nico’s ego, even if it  _ had  _ hurt like a  _ bic _ ). 

Nico pushed forward, regardless of the ache in his muscles or the sweat running down his brow, and when he heard the  _ thump  _ of metal against skin that wasn’t his own, he slowed, allowing himself a small, proud smile at Roan’s deep belly laugh.

* * *

 

_ Age Thirteen _

It wasn’t often that Nyx was reminded of her burning hatred towards the Ice Queen. Her thoughts were too occupied on other matters, such as the strange, recurring dreams of people falling from the sky, and of the  _ maunon  _ becoming increasingly more bold. But on the nights that she had visions about the Azgeda’s shortcomings, those were the nights she was reminded. 

She’d grown quite a bit in the four years she’d been taken by the Ice Nation, her muscles were filling out nicely, she’d grown taller, which was a blessing and a curse at the same time, as it was now getting harder to duck under blows, and she’d started to need chest bindings, which was a menace in of itself. The monthly bleeding wasn’t very appreciated, either. 

It was in between these moments of extreme pain, when Nia was beating her relentlessly for visions of a future she didn’t control, back burning and eyes rolled to the back of her head, that she thought about her childhood. She’d discovered not long after the first of these sessions that a wandering mind helped deal with the pain.

She thought of her mother and father, of how they would’ve grayed if they were still alive. She wondered if her mother’s eyes retained the kindness in them, the soft green that had always been the source of comfort after a particularly rough night. She wondered if her father still whistled as he chopped firewood, and if he had a new  _ seken _ . She wondered about Lincoln and Nyko, if they’d finished their training, wondering what tattoos they had now. She thought about her  _ sis _ , who had been forced to be so strong so young. She wondered how many braids she now had in her hair, and if her eyes had grown cold yet, like in her dreams.

She wondered about her life could have been if she and Nico hadn’t been captured. 

She wondered what her family’s life would have been like had the  _ Shaman  _ not passed through TonDC when their eyes changed colors, saving them from the fate of death. 

So as Nia beat down on her with a whip, lines crisscrossing over her bare back that she knew would leave impressive scars over the old ones, Nyx let herself drift off and think, for a moment, on what it would’ve been like to be a normal child, without the burden of visions, and with a sister who was not  _ heda  _ but was just  _ sis.  _

It was a nice thought.

* * *

 

Roan frowned at the stormy face of his  _ seken _ . His blows were fueled by more than determination today, filled with anger. 

“You are mad at the actions of my mother against your sister.” He stated this as a fact, and Nico’s glaring multicolored eyes reached his stubbornly. 

“Wouldn’t you be?” he shot back, not pausing in his fighting, having since graduated to actual blades. “Wouldn’t you be angry if a woman who had killed someone dear to you in front of your very eyes, and continued to beat your sister, the only person in the whole world you care about, because of something she can’t control?  _ Wouldn’t you _ ?”

There was a lull in the conversation, supplemented only by the metallic  _ clang  _ of blade on blade, and Roan let the question weigh heavily on his mind.

“No.” The response was simple, quick, and Nico thought that his mentor was going to leave it at that, with no explanation whatsoever. “I would be furious.” Another pause. “But I would not let it show, because my anger would distract me, which is something no good warrior can afford.  _ Hodness laik kewlness, Neekow.”  _ He had heard the words before hundreds of times, all from Roan’s mouth. But he still refused to let their message sit in his heart.

Love couldn’t be weakness, it couldn’t be. 

Though the memories of his early childhood in TonDC were slowly fading, he remembered clearly how one time, his mother had been wounded in battle, and his father had pushed forward with the fire of a hundred blazing suns to make sure the battle was won and his mother returned home safely. The way they had looked at each other, so tenderly, was an image that would stick with Nico for the rest of his days. He knew he wanted something like that, eventually, and he knew that the bond he had with his sister was stronger than anything else in the entire world. 

So he refused to believe that love was weakness, and instead compromised with himself, letting his anger sit deep within him, waiting to be unleashed at the right moment, and he bowed his head, taking a moment to breath deeply, centering himself, before once more allowing himself to barrel into Roan with all the strength he could muster.

* * *

 

_ Age Fourteen _

“ _ Do  _ try and keep up, why don’t you, Nam!” Nyx threw her head back in laughter, long brown hair flowing behind her as she urged her horse to go faster, eyes alight with mirth when the man finally caught up, looking rather put out. 

“Mockery is not-”

“...the product of a strong mind, yes, I know, I know,” Nyx teased, eyes still bright, “but it’s so  _ fun.” _ Nam shook his head fondly, the small sign of affection uncharacteristic for the usually stoic man. The girl had really grown on him over the years, and he found himself sad at the thought of her graduating from his tutelage. 

“I’ve half a mind to whip you,” he growled with a sharp glint in his eyes, “but I suppose it’s best to give you a break, after the beating you took yesterday for getting drunk like a  _ branwada _ .” Nyx rolled her eyes at him, sticking her tongue out childishly. 

“Mockery is not the product of a strong mind,” she bit back, and smiled contentedly when Nam simply sighed heavily and continued his path along the western border. These days were Nyx’s favorites, because she’d never been allowed to travel too far out of the Ice Nation’s capital before, as Nia still didn’t quite trust her and Nico not to run. But now, she was allowed to patrol with Nam’s supervision, and found herself drinking in the sights of the forests and the valleys from the plateau in the mountains. She hoped to one day be allowed to patrol the eastern border, venturing into the forests, whose trees she longed to climb, but Nia was still not wholly convinced.

“ _ Shof op, seken _ .”

* * *

 

_ Age Fifteen _

Nico breathed deeply as he observed himself in the mirror. His mismatched eyes stared back at him, the small look of confusion mingled with pride evident. He had grown much in the past six years, which was, of course natural, but he was struggling to see the remnants of the nine year old who had been dragged here, kicking and screaming (literally) against his will. 

He knew today was important. Nyx had warned him. Today was the day they finally patrolled the eastern border, alongside Roan, Nam, a girl named Echo, and Nia’s  _ seken,  _ Ontari. 

Today was the day they left the Ice Nation. 

Today was the day they began their perilous endeavor to aid the people who's ship had fallen from the sky and wiped out a whole village. 

Today was the day they would be taken by the  _ maunon.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a little while longer till Lexa is reunited with the two annoying little shits known as Nyx and Nico. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, as always, kudos/comments are much appreciated. Come hang out on tumblr: [hedaclexa](http://www.hedaclexa.tumblr.com)


	4. The Mountain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lexa finally realizes the urchins are, in fact, alive.

Two months, one week, three days, five hours, ten minutes, seventeen seconds. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty. 

They'd been inside the too-white halls of the Mountain for that long, and even Nyx, who had long since mastered the art of hiding her emotions, was growing uncomfortable. The air here was too sterile, too  _ crisp _ . It lacked the richness and depth that was offered by the forest, or even the sharp tang of cold mountain air. It was unnatural, and quite unnerving. 

At least she had Nico. 

After a week of silently sitting in wire cages, Dante Wallace had walked in to inspect his prisoners, taken one look at the twins, and turned all shades of purple. 

“Those are the  _ heda’s _ siblings,” he had hissed angrily to a guard, “to kill them would direct the commander’s full wrath upon us. We have to keep them hidden, but unharmed.”

Thus, how Nyx and Nico were confined to solitary in a too sterilized, too white room, typically meant for the wounded, bored senseless. 

But that was when the  _ maunon _ started bringing in  _ Skaikru _ . 

Nyx had craned her neck to see them, and she recognized a few.  _ Wanheda _ , of course, who looked small and feeble being carried by a man in a radiation suit, and  _ Monti _ , and  _ Jaspa _ , and a few others. 

Now was the time to act. 

The boy placed in the room opposite to them just so happened to be  _ Jaspa _ , and Nyx knew she could get his attention. From what'd she'd gathered from her visions, he was curious, and easily attracted to pretty things, and Nyx  _ knew _ she was pretty, even if she wasn't quite interested in boys. 

“ _ Sis.” _ She turned to look at Nico, who was observing her with amusement. It was nice to finally be able to be in the company of her brother for longer than a day. “Your bait is awake again, and looking for you.”

Nyx peeked out of the window and, sure enough,  _ Jaspa _ was staring at her curiously, blinking owlishly. She mouthed one word over and over again “help” and by his widened eyes, assumed he understood, before ducking down when a guard passed, likely to let him out, because he'd recovered, and Nyx knew Dante would try to lull the  _ Skaikru  _ into a false sense of security. 

But  _ Jaspa _ would be back. Oh yes. He'd be back.

* * *

 

The only person that Nyx interacted with on a regular basis outside of her brother was a kind  _ maunon  _ girl named Maya, who brought them food three times a day. The soft-spoken girl walked in and walked out, but sometimes she paused to ask the twins what they were doing, as she usually walked in on them doing exercises - pushups, squats, jogging around the room, and boxing with one another - in order to keep in shape. 

“Why do you always do that?” she asked them one day, setting down their lunch trays gently. “I don’t think you’re going to be let out anytime soon, so why keep training?” Nico had looked at her like she was stupid, muttering  _ branwada _ under his breath, making a tsking noise and shaking his head.

“Immobility dulls the mind,” he repeated dutifully, “to be unprepared is to be dead.” He made brief eye contact with Nyx. “And we cannot afford such a luxury.”

“ _ Alrighty  _ then,” Maya drew out somewhat nervously, eyes shifting, “you two are even more uptight than the blonde.” A small frown marred her face. “She attacked me! The nerve! I was just doing my job, trying to help her, and suddenly I’m being wrestled to the ground.” She shook her head. “Always suspicious, that one.”

Maya had kind eyes, Nyx thought. She’d be sad when the girl died.

* * *

 

Nyx woke up like a shot, the tremors of her vision still shaking her. Nico was sitting on the edge of her bed, one hand tiredly rubbing at his eyes while the other brushed through her hair soothingly. An alarm was going off, and he smiled languidly at her. 

“ _ Wanheda  _ has escaped,” he informed her dutifully, “our days in this room are numbered.”

“Indeed.”

* * *

 

Within the week, Nyx and Nico were moved back into the cramped cages. Dante was slowly becoming more paranoid, and his son, Cage, was beginning to creep his influence into every aspect of the Mountain. When they’d been situated in cages next to one another, Nyx was surprised to see a member of the  _ Skaikru  _ in the cage to her other side.  _ Monti _ .

“What are you doing in here, sky boy?” she asked, and he jerked in his cage, as if spooked, regarding her with wide eyes. 

“I dug my nose where it didn’t belong,” he admitted somewhat sheepishly, “but my friends will find me soon… I hope…” He trailed off for a moment, before turning his neck so he could look at Nyx more clearly. “Why are you here?”

“We  _ were  _ locked up in one of the sterile white rooms,” Nico inputted from behind Nyx, “but  _ heda kom Skaikru’s  _ escape made our captors much less trusting.”

“Head come Skykru?”

“ _ Heda kom Skaikru _ ,” Nyx corrected gently, “commander of the Sky People. That is what the girl is, correct?” 

“Well, not technically, I mean, she  _ is  _ the chancellor’s daughter, but I don’t know if Ark law applies to the ground yet, the political schematics are pretty messed up-” he cut himself off at Nyx’s puzzled look, shrugging, “but, yeah, I guess she kinda is.” Their conversation was interrupted by a commotion as two people stormed into the grounder holding room, Maya and Jasper. The brown haired boy looked around frantically before finally finding his friend and running over to him.

Nyx smiled softly as the taller boy gently scooped Monty out of his cage, helping him down gingerly. 

“Your  _ Skaiheda  _ will return,” Nyx informed them once their reunion had lulled.

“Who is this chick?”

“I am  _ Nyx kom Trikru _ ,” it felt good to say Trikru after many years of being forced to say Azgedakru, “the next chosen  _ seyah _ , and this is my brother, Nico.” He nodded when he heard his name, though awkwardly, as the cage restricted his movement. 

“Why are you back in the cages?” Maya asked fretfully, “you were in solitary because you can’t be bled, your blood isn’t compatible with anyone else here.” None of the  _ maunon  _ were  _ natblidas _ , after all. 

“The details are unimportant,” Nyx said, growing frustrated at the questions, “I need you to listen to me. Soon, your floppy haired boy  _ Bellomi _ , will come in hopes to turn off the acid fog.  _ Heda  _ and  _ Skaiheda  _ will storm the mountain, and will require your help from the inside. When the fighting breaks out, send one of your own to retrieve Nico and I. We will aid you.”

The three non-grounders looked at each other for a moment.

“How can we trust you?” asked Jasper.

“Because I am  _ seyah _ ,” Nyx responded evenly, “I see all that has come to pass and is yet to come,  _ Jaspa kom Skaikru _ , and I know if you do not hurry and leave, we will have much bigger problems on our hands.”

* * *

 

After several weeks with minimum food or water, the twins were beginning to grow impatient. So when the boy with the curly dark hair entered the room with a set of keys, their relief was almost palpable. He reached them soon, and by the recognition in his eyes at the sight of them, Jasper and Monty must have informed him on the situation.

“Go,” he instructed, “they’re waiting.”

* * *

 

It was a bloodbath.

Nyx had quickly found the locked room with the stolen grounders’ weapons, and the feeling of her double bladed staff in her hands was warm and welcoming. She’d missed its familiar weight. Nico looked equally thrilled to be reunited with his two lean swords, grinning like a madman, and for a moment looking their age of fifteen.

The  _ maunon  _ were everywhere, and the two twins unleashed upon them all their pent up fury. These men wouldn’t be getting away with the slaughter of hundreds, if not thousands, of their people.

Though chaos reigned besides them, the two twins were in perfect synchronization, letting the screaming lull them into an almost trance-like state, showing the mountain men why they were considered to be some of the best warriors of their age. To those observing them, the way they moved was like a deadly dance. Nyx used her smaller size to sweep low, skirting around bullets as though they were butterflies, while Nico barrelled into all of his opponents, fast and deadly, neither of them leaving any room for error. They were born for this.

But then, the fighting stopped.

Echo found the two twins, surrounded by thirty mountain men, and informed them of the commander’s deal. That they were to stand down and leave the Sky people to their own devices. 

“That’s dishonorable,” Nico ground out, refusing to relax his stance, “the  _ Skaikru _ are helpless on their own. What is she thinking?” At this point, the guards were getting rather antsy, as the two still showed no signs of stepping down.

“Please,” Echo pleaded, a blanket thrown over her back, “just stand down, leave the  _ branwadas  _ to fend for themselves.” Nyx saw the guard move before her brother did, and twisted her body in front of his, gasping as the small piece of metal shot clean through her side, allowing her eyes to flutter shut as her brother began screaming.

* * *

 

Lexa could see nothing but the wide, angry, confused, and betrayed look Clarke had given her as she explained the deal she’d been offered. She held her head high as her army retreated, berating herself for letting herself feel for the other girl. She hadn’t felt anything this strong for anyone since-

“ _ Heda!” _ the voice was urgent, and she cast an annoyed look at a warrior, who was bowing respectfully in her direction.

“What is it?” she snapped.

“Come quickly, Nyko is tending to a wounded girl, you will want to see-”

“Why would I be interested in a single soldier?” Lexa growled, “Plenty have been injured, that doesn’t mean…” she trailed off when she looked beyond the soldier in front of her, where a boy was being restrained by a much larger soldier, torn clothing letting Lexa know that he’d been amongst those freed from the mountain.

“Let me go!” he was yelling. “I need to see my  _ sis!  _ Unhand me!  _ NYX!”  _

At the name that tore itself from the boy’s throat, Lexa felt her heart seize in her chest. She hadn’t heard that name in many years, not since the day that all of her loved ones had been taken from her at once. Her  _ nomon  _ and  _ nontu _ , killed by the Ice Nation, and her beloved Costia and her  _ bro  _ and  _ sis  _ captured. She’d thought them dead.

Before she could even register what she was doing, Lexa’s legs were carrying her down the hill and to the struggling boy, and she reached out and touched his shoulder, and when mismatched eyes snapped around to meet her own, it took all of her self control to not sob in relief. Her hands took his shaking face, and she stared at him, drinking in the eyes that she hadn’t seen in so long.

“Nico,” she whispered, a thumb brushing over his cheek softly, where tear-tracks were evident. He’d grown so much. Of course he had, it’d been six years since she’d last seen them. The familiar scarification of the Ice Nation made her blood boil, but for now all that was important that she was here, with her little brother, and he was alive.

“Lexa,” he whispered back, just as reverently, blinking a few tears from his eyes, before gazing helplessly as the quickly erected healer’s tent. “Nyx.” She lead him into the tent, glaring at he soldier who’d been restraining him, and saw Nyko’s steady hands pressing a dark, black stained cloth (she’d had suspicions that her siblings would be nightbloods, like her, but the blood usually didn’t change until ten years, Lexa being a rare exception, and this confirmed them), the girl looking so small in the wide cot. For a moment, Lexa remembered the little girl that she’d been able to throw over her shoulder and toss into the air, and found herself sorely missing that little girl in the current moment. The bullet wound had passed all the way through, but Nyko had no way of knowing the full extent of the internal damage yet, so it was going to be a rocky week or so for the writhing girl.

Lexa hoped that her sister recovered, or she’d force her army to march all the way back, deal with the  _ maunon  _ or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, kudos/comments are greatly appreciated. Come hang out on tumblr, hedaclexa.


	5. Polis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> REUNITED AT LAST

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next up, Clarke

Lexa allowed herself a moment to drink in the sight before her, committing it to memory, trying to soak up every detail so that she could remember this always. It was something she'd never thought she'd see again. 

The young nightbloods were circled around Nico, who was telling them stories of his time in captivity with the Ice Nation, trained under the banished Prince Roan. They were utterly enraptured. 

Nyx sat next to him, leaning into his side, adding her commentary whenever she felt necessary, her hands busy twisting the hair of one of the girl nightbloods, Ellis, into small braids. 

This is how Lexa remembered them. Granted, they'd grown much since the last memories she had of the twins, but their mannerisms remained mainly the same. Nico was still as enthusiastic as ever, making wide, sweeping gestures with his hands for emphasis, while Nyx preferred to be the quiet observer, but still kept her brother in check, adding in her own thoughts on her experiences. 

During the younger girl’s recovery, Lexa had seen the many jagged scars from countless rounds of whipping, and catching glimpses of the ones that curled up the back of her neck made her blood boil and jaw clench. She hadn't thought it possible to hate Queen Nia more than she already had for the beheading of Costia, but the knowledge that the bloodthirsty tyrant had continuously tortured her little  _ sis _ made Lexa see red. 

Once Nyx was fully recovered from the bullet wound, Lexa had given her and Nico a graduation ceremony - Trikru style. They wore their new tattoos with the utmost pride, glad to finally be home after many long years.

“What were they like?” Lexa’s attention was recaptured when Aden, her personal favorite of the nightbloods, finally piped up. “The Ice Nation, I mean.” Nico opened his mouth as though to answer, but Nyx beat him to the chase.

“Their  _ Kwin _ is a monster,” she said, and her voice held such hidden anger that it demanded respect, and the gathered children all hushed instantly, “there is no honor in killing innocents to scare your enemies, no honor in torturing innocent children.” She steeled them all with severe looks. “I have no doubt that you will be taught, should you be chosen by the spirit if my  _ sis  _ passes, that emotions are weakness, but do not let that turn you into a monster.” There was some murmuring amongst the children, their gazes solemn, before Nyx’s eyes lightened.

“They weren’t all bad, though, the  _ Azgeda _ ,” she continued, “I was nursed back to health many times by a healer named Freya, she was kind and nurturing, but fierce too. Prince Roan was Nico’s  _ fos _ , and he was a brute of a man, deadly and precise, almost as skilled as  _ heda _ , but he had a dry sense of humor and a soft spot for my brother and I. My own   _ fos  _ was a severe man named Nam, but he lightened with time, and wasn’t afraid to knock me into my place when I got overconfident.” Her sparkling eyes locked with Lexa’s. “You would’ve liked him,  _ sis _ .”

The nightbloods, now made aware of Lexa’s presence in the room, immediately turned their attention to her, most likely to ask questions, which she answered readily, occasionally stealing glances at her younger siblings, Nyx now leaning into Nico, multicolored eyes glinting with amusement. 

“Come,  _ natblidas,” _ Lexa instructed them, nodding to her brother and sister, “it is time you were trained in the combat style of the Ice Nation.”

* * *

 

Each of the twelve clans had similar fighting styles, but each with their own flair, specialties, so to speak. The  _ Trikru  _ were known for their guerrilla warfare tactics, using the trees and foliage to their advantage. Up in the mountains of the north, however, such tactics weren’t needed and thus, weren’t taught. 

One of their most useful skills was one also common amongst the  _ Trikru _ , the ability to be silent. Crunching snow or leaves would grab the enemy’s attention, so being able to step lightly was key. For the Tree People, this was as far as the skill was applied, but the Ice Nation used the light-footedness to  _ dance. _

In an exercise reminiscent of the first that had been drilled into Nyx by Nam, the girl (now fully recovered) stood in the middle of the group of young nightbloods, wielding only her trusty staff. A circle was drawn around her, and the others were gazing at her curiously, some sending Lexa confused looks, as it was usually her who trained them.

“Today I am going to teach you perhaps the most important lesson you can learn,” said Nyx clearly, and Lexa took a moment to appreciate her sister. Gone was the timid girl who spoke shyly. In her place now was a young woman, who’d been hardened through terrible agony, but had only grown stronger because of it. Her eyes were hardened, jaw set, stance firm, and Lexa thought for a moment that, if she was not destined to be the next  _ seyah _ , that she would have made a fine candidate for the spirit to choose upon her own passing. 

“You are already accustomed to having to walk lightly through the forest,” Nyx continued, “in order to keep the enemy unaware of your presence before you strike. The element of surprise is key for your main tactics of fighting.” She paused, observing them all. “But, once that element of surprise is lost, or never obtained in the first place, you can still use these skills to your advantage. I know you’ve been taught that the best defense is a good offense, but I am here to tell you otherwise. The ability to dodge and dance in battle is just as important as the ability to strike down your opponent, and forgoing such defensive strategies in favor of merely allowing yourself to be beaten down is stupid, and to do such would make you quite the  _ branwada _ .”

A few of the children in the back giggled lightly at the use of the word, but quelled quickly, as Nyx’s stature left no room for humor. 

“Come forward three at a time,” she instructed, “your goal, armed with your staffs, is to only push me outside of the circle or pin me to the ground.” She observed them, a dangerous glint in her eyes. “Who wishes to go first?”

Trent stepped forward confidently, accompanied by Wren and Ray. Lexa knew from over a year of training them that these three were the most impulsive of her warriors in training, quick and oftentimes clumsy in their actions, overconfidence being their main weakness. Trent, the tallest of the three, was already almost reaching Nyx’s short height, only three quarters of a head shorter, and from the calculating gleam in his eyes Lexa knew that he thought her sister was all mouth with no skill to back up her claims. 

This would be his downfall. 

“How long?” Lexa asked over her shoulder to Nico, who was grinning besides her.

“Ten seconds.”

“This should be fun to watch.”

True to his prediction, Nyx had knocked down the other three out of the circle within ten seconds. They’d all been fairly obvious in their actions, planning on striking her down together, but she had dodged under one swing, jumped over the other, and carelessly parried away the third, before walloping all three surprised children out of the circle.

“Who’s next?” 

As the groups continued, they slowly began to last longer and longer, picking up what Nyx was laying down. The group that lasted the longest was the one that comprised of Aden, Ellis, and Maverick, who had proven themselves to be the best listeners of the group. 

After rounds of three, it moved to one-on-one, Nyx telling the nightbloods to try and last at least a minute in the circle, demonstrating how she kept herself light and spry, never resting on one patch of ground for too long. 

Trent had the audacity to complain, and Lexa narrowed her eyes at the boy, compelling him to be quiet, but Nyx simply laughed him off, mentioning something about a blindfold and an insane mentor. 

“That one seems like trouble,” Nico whispered to his older sister, and she sighed deeply. 

“He has yet to overcome his arrogance,” she conceded, “it's his weakness. Everyone has one.”

“But not you?” he questioned with a raised eyebrow, and Lexa shot him an unamused look. 

“I am  _ heda _ , I cannot afford to have weakness.” He scoffed, causing Lexa to scowl. 

“I may not be the twin who sees all,  _ sis, _ ” he teased, eyes sparkling, “but even I can see that you care.” Her heart constricted painfully. 

“And you see where that has gotten me?” Her eyes focused on Aden, who'd managed to last the longest thus far, forty-two seconds. 

“Commander over a successfully united coalition.” She turned to observe the fifteen year old sharply. “It fuels you. And sure, feelings can make us do stupid things sometimes, but you are no  _ branwada,  _ Lexa. You’re a tactician. Use that head of yours sometime,  _ heda. _ ”

She blinked at him for a moment, before fondly rolling her eyes. 

“Don't let Indra hear you speak to me as such, you may be my brother, but she’d still see you strung up.”

“I'm quaking in fear,” Nico deadpanned, eliciting a small huff of a laugh from his elder sister, shaking her head. 

“Even when you were young, you and Nyx had a way of frustrating my generals beyond what I thought possible.”

“It's the family charm,” he grinned cheekily, “look at your little warriors, I can tell they're  _ ever  _ so fond of Nyx right now.”

Quite the contrary, the young apprentices were covered in bruises, only a few grinning excitedly at the new exercises. Trent looked particularly bitter, sulking in the shadows, but Aden glowed, cheeks flushed with life. Lexa knew she'd liked him for a reason. 

“Let's collect Nyx before she  _ completely  _ demolishes their pride.”

“You're about five minutes too late there, Lexa.”

“ _ Shof op. _ ”

* * *

 

As the light of day began to fade, the children were bruised and battered beyond imagination, but their cheeks were flushed with pride, having successfully made it through another day of training, eyes alight as their exercises came to a close. 

The three siblings had taken turns teaching the nightbloods, each preaching their own specialties. Lexa’s technique was unparalleled, and Nico excelled in hand-to-hand. His lessons had been favored by Trent, who was similarly built. 

The twins were currently busying themselves seeing who could hold a handstand the longest, much to the excitement of the children. Lexa observed with amused eyes, still amazed at the fact that she was here, with her little brother and sister with her. It was Ellis who proposed the idea:

“ _ Heda _ , could we see you fight Nyx and Nico?” At her suggestion, the other children immediately voiced their agreement, nodding rapidly as the excitement grew. Nyx and Nico dropped from their positions upside-down.

“What do you say,  _ sis _ ?” Nico teased. “Think you can take Nyx and I?” Lexa pretended to yawn, causing some of the younger nightbloods to giggle. 

“Think?” she bit back, “I  _ know  _ I can beat you two little scoundrels.”

The children cheered as the three siblings readied their stances, each armed with a long wooden staff. 

Nico struck the first blow, rushing in to try and demolish Lexa’s defense. She parried his blow with relative ease, but had to jump quickly over Nyx’s, whose blow came quickly after her brothers. The two of them moved in perfect synchronization, striking one after the other, but Lexa was the  _ heda _ , and wouldn’t be easily defeated, not even by her brother and sister. 

Displaying the power that only  _ heda  _ could possess, Lexa struck back harder and harder, forcing the two younger warriors to be forced to uphold the defensive as opposed to their previous offensive tactics. They moved fluidly, blocking hits meant for each other, moving in tandem, brows furrowed in concentration. The two of them were by no means a weak pairing in battle, quite the contrary. Together, they’d managed to take Roan down once (though the proud man would never admit it), but Lexa was  _ heda _ , and she was also their  _ sis _ , and they could feel themselves faltering under her relentless assault.

Nico was the first to get knocked on his back, Lexa having hooked her staff under his, capturing it into her left hand and knocking him off of his feet with a swift kick to the knees. He groaned and rolled out of the way, leaving his sisters to finish their fight. 

Lexa, now armed with two staffs, began battering at Nyx with all she had, and the younger girl was hard-pressed to keep up with the pace that Lexa was setting. She ducked and dodged and jumped, and even performed a perfectly executed back handspring at one point, but the excessive acrobatics were tiring her out at an accelerating rate, and she could feel her chest heaving with the effort. Lexa finally found a break in Nyx’s rather outstanding defense, and hit her hard in the stomach with the butt of the staff, knocking the wind out of the smaller girl, and she fell to the ground with a dull  _ thud _ , clutching at her stomach. 

Lexa smiled confidently as the cheers of the nightbloods rang through the training grounds, but Nyx could see the underlying concern, which she and Nico both brushed off, standing unsteadily. 

“I suppose Nyx and I have some more training to do,” Nico laughed, shaking his head, “one day,  _ sis _ , one day we will beat you.” Lexa regarded the two of them, pride evident in her eyes as she ruffled Nico’s hair fondly and wrapped her other arm around Nyx’s shoulders. 

“Of that, I have no doubt,” she smiled, “no doubt at all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments/kudos are greatly appreciated. Come hang out on tumblr [hedaclexa](http://www.hedaclexa.tumblr.com).

**Author's Note:**

> This is how I'm coping with my intense disappointment @ JRat for killing our beloved Heda. Queerbaited again, folks. Don't worry, the gays will end up happy in this fic. 
> 
> Come hang out w/ me on tumblr: [hedaclexa](http://www.hedaclexa.tumblr.com)
> 
> Reshop, Heda.


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